United Nations calls for probe into death of Venezuela opposition member

More than two dozen people have been jailed on suspicion of involvement in the plot, which Maduro claims was orchestrated by Borges with the support of Colombia and the U.S.

Fernando Albán was detained over what officials say was a drone assassination attempt on President Nicolás Maduro.

Interior and Justice Minister General Nestor Reverol lamented the death of the politician who, he said, was "involved in destabilizing acts directed from overseas".

Saab said Alban, 56, was in the waiting room of the Caracas office of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service waiting to be transferred to a tribunal when he asked to use the bathroom.

Fernando Alban was arrested Friday at Caracas' global airport upon arrival from a trip to NY to galvanize world opinion against President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government.

Opposition leader Julio Borges said Salazar was a personal friend and cast doubts on the suicide claim. He did not provide any evidence and did not say what led him to believe that Alban was killed.

The authorities later blamed Venezuela's opposition and also Colombia for the attack.

Luis Almagro, the head of the Organization of American States and a critic of Venezuela's government, called Alban's death "the direct responsibility of a torturing and homicidal regime". Mr Corker was in Caracas on Monday to meet government officials and the opposition to assess Venezuela's economic crisis.

"We understand there are conflicting reports on what exactly happened", she said.

The US imposed new sanctions on several of Mr Maduro's top allies last week as President Donald Trump urged United Nations members to support a "restoration of democracy" in Venezuela.

"And he didn't do it".

Rights groups and the opposition have said that Mr Maduro's administration is holding hundreds of political prisoners on trumped-up charges meant to stifle dissent.

The government has denied that it is detaining people as political prisoners and said they were fairly jailed.

The city councilman's lawyer, Joel Garcia, told reporters it was too soon to confirm whether the case was a suicide or not.

Jorge Millan, another Justice First legislator, said a delegation of lawmakers had immediately gone to SEBIN's headquarters to request answers on Alban, who was municipal counselor for a Caracas district.

The United States in August condemned alleged arbitrary detentions and forced confessions by the Venezuelan government in its investigation of the drone incident.

In a statement, the party said their member "was murdered at the hands of the regime of Nicolas Maduro".